Provenance
Lots 3365–3372 are from the collection of Phila McDaniel, an art historian and pioneering scholar of the textile traditions of Guizhou, China. She is widely recognized as the first person to escort an American study group into the then relatively unknown Chinese province of Guizhou in 1984—an experience she described as entering the “Land of the Silk Dragon.” This groundbreaking and bellwether initiative opened the region to sustained scholarly and cultural engagement and established the foundation for subsequent research. Her enduring commitment is reflected in her remarkable record of travel: of her fifty visits to China, twenty-seven were extended study tours devoted to Guizhou.

Trained with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Asian art and philosophy, and active for many years as a teacher and lecturer, McDaniel brought both scholarly rigor and deep cultural sensitivity to her work. Her sustained engagement with the diverse ethnic communities of Guizhou—home to a population of over thirty million—enabled her to discern both shared traditions and distinctive practices among its many groups. Her dedication to researching, documenting, and collecting the artistic production of these communities is further enriched by her accomplished photography, through which she captured the landscape, people, and material culture with exceptional clarity and empathy.

Her work culminated in the landmark publication Silver and Silk: Textiles and Jewelry of Guizhou, China: Selections from the Collection of Mingei International Museum (San Diego: Mingei International Museum, 2002; ISBN: 0-914155-15-6), a richly illustrated volume of 216 pages featuring 122 color photographs. This publication remains a foundational contribution to the study of Miao textiles and adornment, fields in which McDaniel’s research is widely regarded as pioneering and bellwether in significance.

The present group reflects the core of her collecting focus, particularly Miao textiles and dress, which formed the basis of both her research and publication. At the same time, her wide-ranging intellectual curiosity is evident in the inclusion of related textiles from Xinjiang and Tibet within China, as well as examples from Indonesia, Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and even South America, demonstrating both the breadth of her interests and the depth of her comparative approach. All objects in this group retain her original handwritten labels, directly linking them to her fieldwork and scholarship.

Phila McDaniel’s contributions represent a foundational and pioneering effort in bringing the textile traditions of China’s ethnic minorities—especially those of the Miao people—to international attention. Michaan’s Auctions is honored to dedicate Lots 3365–3372 to her extraordinary scholarship and lasting impact on the field.